No progress in Iranian nuclear settlement

Experts agreed to meet in Istanbul on July 3

MOSCOW, June 21 (Itar-Tass) — There is no practical progress in the settlement of Iran’s nuclear problem, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

Commenting on the Moscow round of talks between the Sextet and Iran, Lukashevich said, “The work should be continued. It is a very meticulous process. But there is no progress in this aspect.”

“The talks are never as frequent as they are now. This is considerable progress. But intensive contacts are conditioned by the higher expectations,” the diplomat stated.

In his words, the Moscow round of talks “was more substantial than the previous one. The preparation degree gains momentum”.

To this end, Lukashevich recalled that experts agreed to meet in Istanbul on July 3. “This proves that the parties seek to move forward,” he noted.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted certain difficulties in the settlement, different positions on the priority tasks and their interpretation by the parties. In his words, the sides revealed the divergence of stances on consistent steps – “the Moscow round of talks did not lead to process in this direction”. “The problem is that every party understand the concept ‘reciprocity’ from its point of view,” Lukashevich stressed, adding that the steps “should be balanced”.